The Judgment of the Earth • 06.16.24
The Judgment of the Earth
Isaiah 24
Wrestling with God’s reckoning of creation
- Heed God’s warning of worldwide judgment
- Evaluate where you stand with God
- Recognize the extent of the judgment
Good morning, church family! We have much to be thankful for today, including the men who have invested in our lives. Happy Father’s Day! For those of you who are new, welcome. My name is Pastor Nick and I have the privilege of studying God’s Word with you this morning.
We’re continuing our series in Isaiah titled The Lord Saves by studying chapter 24 today. And boy is this a challenging read! As we’ve seen throughout the study of Isaiah, the Lord saves, but he is also righteous and just to judge. These character qualities of God are intimately connected, you cannot divorce one from the other. God’s righteousness demands he deal with the sin and rebellion of the people whom he has made. Over the past two weeks, we’ve heard about God’s just judgment of the nations surrounding Judah, as well as his judgment of Judah itself. (MAP) If you recall, God has addressed the major superpowers of their day, as well as other nations immediately in the vicinity of Judah. Well today, we’re going to see God is broadening the scope of his judgment to encompass the entire earth! Chapter 24 reveals that when all is said and done, no one escapes answering to God. (Series graphic)
Dismiss 4th + 5th graders
Ushers + Bibles (Isaiah 24; page 694)
I will tell you as we prepare to study this chapter today that I have been anticipating preaching this sermon to you. As I read the text and worked on the outline and then read commentaries to further develop my understanding I was in awe of God’s power and majesty. Truly it is a devastating thing to behold when it is borne in judgment of the world. And yet, this is exactly what we need to hear in our day and age. We live in a time of moral chaos and confusion where truth is said to be relative and expressive individualism is the popular religion of the masses. Everyone does what is right in their own eyes! And the world would have you think this is a fine way to live. That no one is harming anyone else if they practice their religion privately and inconspicuously.
As we’ll see today, that is a bald-faced lie. Maybe those who promote this way of life and worldview do not realize it is such a shameless lie, but it is, nonetheless. It finds its origin in the devil, the Great Deceiver himself. God has much to say about the destructive outcomes of rejecting the truth about him and his will/ways to pursue the way of self-worship. In a great and very sad dose of irony, the very things our world claims are the paths to freedom and the good life are, in fact, the very things that bring upon us the great and inescapable judgment of God. Humans, as we will see, are our own worst enemy. We have believed a great lie and put everyone and everything on a path of judgment by God.
I hope you understand from this introduction that the content of our study today is of no small importance nor is it a laughing matter. I invite each one of you to soberly listen and consider what you hear today. Especially if you do not know the way of salvation God provides from the judgment that is coming. Let’s turn our attention to the Word of God, starting in Isaiah 24:1. I’m going to read the whole chapter together given the gravity of the contents. Please follow along as I read.
Isaiah 24:1–23 (ESV)
Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate,
and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
as with the slave, so with his master;
as with the maid, so with her mistress;
as with the buyer, so with the seller;
as with the lender, so with the borrower;
as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
3 The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;
for the Lord has spoken this word.
4 The earth mourns and withers;
the world languishes and withers;
the highest people of the earth languish.
5 The earth lies defiled
under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed the laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
and few men are left.
7 The wine mourns,
the vine languishes,
all the merry-hearted sigh.
8 The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,
the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
9 No more do they drink wine with singing;
strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10 The wasted city is broken down;
every house is shut up so that none can enter.
11 There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
all joy has grown dark;
the gladness of the earth is banished.
12 Desolation is left in the city;
the gates are battered into ruins.
13 For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth
among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,
as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.
14 They lift up their voices, they sing for joy;
over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west.
15 Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord;
in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
of glory to the Righteous One.
But I say, “I waste away,
I waste away. Woe is me!
For the traitors have betrayed,
with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.”
17 Terror and the pit and the snare
are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
18 He who flees at the sound of the terror
shall fall into the pit,
and he who climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the snare.
For the windows of heaven are opened,
and the foundations of the earth tremble.
19 The earth is utterly broken,
the earth is split apart,
the earth is violently shaken.
20 The earth staggers like a drunken man;
it sways like a hut;
its transgression lies heavy upon it,
and it falls, and will not rise again.
21 On that day the Lord will punish
the host of heaven, in heaven,
and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
22 They will be gathered together
as prisoners in a pit;
they will be shut up in a prison,
and after many days they will be punished.
23 Then the moon will be confounded
and the sun ashamed,
for the Lord of hosts reigns
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and his glory will be before his elders.
Would you bow your heads with me as I pray in response to what we’ve just read?
Pray over the gravity of these words and their implications for us. Pray for ears to hear and hearts to believe. Pray for repentance and salvation for those in sin. Pray that we would listen and learn how we might respond to such dire words of warning.
As I said earlier, this is no laughing matter. What we are discussing today is the end of all things. The judgment of the earth. And, as you just heard from God’s Word, God has a day in store to empty the earth and make it desolate. The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the LORD has spoken this word. (v3) Recall two weeks ago when we heard God declare:
Isaiah 14:24 (ESV)
24The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,
God does not utter empty words nor does he speak hastily. What he has said, he will do. And truly, because it has been said, it is as good as done. There is no changing the future for our world. I’m not here today to try to give you counsel on how to convince God not to judge the world for its sin and rebellion. I can’t do that! He is God, not me; and he has willed it to be this way.
So, what are we to do in response to what we’ve heard, then? The same thing he has always called us to do – hear and obey. Ask the Lord to help you understand what he has for you in this teaching, so that you might respond in a manner that is pleasing to him! Because the end is not here yet. Which means there is still time to live for him. There is still time for those stuck in sin to repent (turn from it) and believe in and follow him. We’ll get into this more as we go today. Our aim this morning is…
Wrestling with God’s reckoning of creation
When I say reckoning, I mean God’s working out of consequences for our actions. Or to put it another way – a day is coming when God will settle accounts with everyone, everywhere. As we heard in the text moments ago, there is a totality of judgment coming. So, our first step in wrestling with God’s reckoning of creation is to…
- Heed God’s warning of worldwide judgment
Consider what we heard in verses 1-6 about this totality of judgment. First, you have the call to “BEHOLD” in verse 1 – “LOOK HERE AND SEE” and what are they beholding? That the LORD will empty the earth, literally the entire world. That he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. The focus is not so much on the exact nature of how he will do this as it is the scope of his judgment. It includes everyone, everywhere.
Then we get to verse 2 and we see further clarification that it is all people without exception. “As with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave; so with his master…” The language here is indicating that God’s judgment is across all aspects and spectrums of life. No matter your position, no matter your standing, whether you’re a religious leader, involved in the domestic realm, or commercial endeavors, God’s judgment encompasses it all!
Then again in verse 3 we hear, “The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered…” Utterly meaning completely or thoroughly and, again, notice its extent – the entire earth. God is not playing around with this warning! This is his wakeup call to a people who are stuck in sin and ignoring the warning signs all around them about the severe danger they are in! You heard about this last week when Pastor Jordan preached from Isaiah 22. The Judeans were partying on the rooftops when they ought to have been confessing and repenting in sackcloth and ashes. The only difference now is the extent of the judgment has been revealed to be far greater than Judah.
Look at what God says in verses 5-6, “The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. THEREFORE a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; THEREFORE the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.”
God is very clear here. Those who dwell on the earth have defiled or ruined it. By their lawless rebellion and godless lifestyles, they have invited God’s judgment upon the earth. There is no one else to blame than ourselves. We are our own worst problem when it comes to the condition of our world and the final outcome.
When it speaks of the laws and statutes and covenant that has been broken, it is likely referring to the inviolable moral laws and commands of God that are fundamental to our creation. Paul writes about these in Romans 1-3, where he explains that the very creation itself declares that God exists and therefore, we should seek to know and obey him. There is also the everlasting covenant mentioned in Genesis 9 that God made with Noah. This covenant applied to all flesh on the earth:
Genesis 9:16–17 (ESV)
16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
Do you recall the sign of this covenant? The rainbow. Intended to signify God’s promise never again to flood the earth in judgment. And yet consider what our culture celebrates in this very month! The co-option and corruption of this sign of the covenant. Humanity is guilty as charged in Isaiah 24!
That is not the only time an everlasting covenant is mentioned in Scripture. Another is found in Psalm 105:
Psalm 105:9–11 (ESV)
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as your portion for an inheritance.”
God kept his side of the covenant with Israel, yet she repeatedly violated her side by not following and obeying him.
God does not clarify which everlasting covenant he is speaking of in Isaiah 24:5, but the point is clear. Our world has not lived faithfully under his rule and reign. We have despised his commands and failed to uphold our side of the deal. We have rejected his authority and sought to carve out a different way of life for ourselves. As we heard from Jordan last week, we are just like the Judeans, seeking to live self-sufficient lives rather than trusting in God to deliver and uphold us.
Let me share several other shocking and relevant passages that connect to this type of defilement spoken of in Isaiah 24:
Numbers 35:33 (ESV)
33 You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.
Psalm 106:38 (ESV)
38 they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was polluted with blood.
Bloodshed, especially the blood of innocents, the blood of sons and daughters offered in idol worship, is detestable to God and it pollutes the land. And what is the cause of death of nearly 900 thousand children every year in the USA? Abortion. We live in a land drenched in the blood of its children. It is an awful thing to have to say and an even more awful reality to know it is true. Why would we be surprised that God is judging the earth when we knowingly violate the very tenets of righteousness and justice that he established?
Or how about this passage?
Jeremiah 3:1–2 (ESV)
“If a man divorces his wife
and she goes from him
and becomes another man’s wife,
will he return to her?
Would not that land be greatly polluted?
You have played the whore with many lovers;
and would you return to me?
declares the Lord.
2 Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!
Where have you not been ravished?
By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers
like an Arab in the wilderness.
You have polluted the land
with your vile whoredom.
Bloodshed and idolatry have brought great defilement upon the earth. From the earliest days, worship of God has been treated flippantly by humans. As I said earlier, our world has not lived faithfully under his rule and reign. We have rejected his authority and sought to carve out a different path for ourselves. I hope you will agree that these are not only concerns of the past, these are still practices happening in the present. Humanity’s guilt is compounded to this day!
Commentator Alec Motyer had some fascinating insights into this text. I’ll share just one of them. He observed, “Human sin infects the human environment, and is the ultimate environmental threat.” (TOTC) How’s that for a contrast to our world’s proposed reasons for our brokenness? The greatest problem to our environment is HUMAN SIN. It is our unrepentant sin that invites God’s judgment upon the earth. While the world is putting all its hopes in carbon neutrality or family planning and abortion as the solutions to our problems, God reveals that our only true hope is in REPENTANCE from sin to escape JUDGMENT.
This is the reality for each one of us today. Faith in Jesus Christ is the sole solution for our sin and the judgment it has incurred. While Christ is not mentioned in Isaiah 24, we know from the greater revelation of Scripture that he is God’s provision for the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life. We heard about this in our study of 1 John this spring:
1 John 1:6–10 (ESV)
6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
God’s grace and mercy has provided an answer for your sins through the shed blood of his Son. But you must respond to the finished work of Jesus by believing in Him for the forgiveness of sins and turning from your sin to follow him. This is repentance (a change of mind that leads to a change of life). Your entire life is reoriented around him; he is the one you live for; he gets to call the shots in your life.
Look back with me at Isaiah 24:6. When Isaiah said here that few men are left, it is likely that he is referring to the faithful remnant of God. These are the ones who are able to stand in the day of judgment. And they only stand because they are protected by the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
What should you do with all that you are hearing today? Well, I would encourage you in your wrestling with God’s reckoning of creation to…
- Evaluate where you stand with God
Verses 7-16a reveal a creation that is languishing. Isaiah paints the picture of the wine/vines drying up and those who were previously enjoying their pleasures as now groaning. Like a DJ suddenly stopping the track, the party is over. No more music. No more singing or shouting from those who found their pleasure in the vine. Verse 9 reveals that “strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.” Meaning that the things of this world that once brought enjoyment and excitement are no longer satisfying. They are revealed to be insufficient for joy when judgment comes.
It only gets worse as the text progresses into verses 10-12. He speaks of the “wasted” city that is broken down. The word for wasted is the Hebrew word “tohu” which is found in Genesis 1 when God says the world was without form and void. It means a wasteland or without order. That’s life without God – there is no order, there is no purpose, it is simply an empty wasteland. God uses this terminology to describe the world as it exists outside of him. It is a world full of empty pleasures and moral relativism. A world that has rejected God’s will and ways to pursue uncontrolled self-gratifying individualism. Chasing after the latest passions and pleasures of this life rather than taking heed of the One who stands above it all.
Doesn’t that sound like it was written to people living in the 21st century?! And yet it was written by the prophet Isaiah in circa ~700 BC! Oh, how things have not substantially changed over the years. We like to think we’re more sophisticated and advanced as a people, but we’re not. We’ve just invented new ways to repeat the same old sins. Our rebellion today is just as wicked as it was then. And it will result in the same outcome – tohu – a wasteland in your personal life and in our world.
Notice in verse 11 he says, “All joy has grown dark; the gladness of the earth is banished.” Does that sound pleasant to you? Absolutely not! So why do we choose this way!? Because we are easily deceived. We believe the lies that temporary pleasures and treasures offer us. They are immediately before us, and they LOOK and SOUND and SMELL GOOD. In those moments, we must keep an eternal, Godward focus. Remember that God stands above it all and he has given clear direction for how to live. And every choice we make has implications for our standing with him. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be joining my voice with the group revealed in verses 14-16a.
Isaiah 24:14–16a (ESV)
14 They lift up their voices, they sing for joy;
over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west.
15 Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord;
in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
of glory to the Righteous One…”
In the midst of the judgment, as the rebellious city lies silent in despair, another group will raise their voices in worship. This group is the redeemed, the faithful remnant of the LORD. As you may notice, their voices span from the east to the west, to the coastlands of the sea. This is a way of saying that these voices arise across the earth. As we have heard in previous weeks, God has a plan to make a people for himself from every tongue, tribe, and nation on earth. Though many will be silent in judgment, there will be SOME who sing songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One.
“The Righteous One” – what an intentional title for God. Do you agree that he is righteous, even in the face of such great judgment? As I pointed out two weeks ago, he is simply responding to our rebellion against him. How do you handle that reality? Are you able to get to the position where you see the glory of God even in the hard reality of judgment? I understand this may be a struggle for some. Please let me encourage you to keep wrestling with these hard truths of God so that you may be ready to glorify him when that day comes. If you’d like to talk further about it, I’d love to do so… Please remember, that God does nothing lightly or sinfully. He does not delight in the destruction of sinners, but he is glorified in the fulfillment of his righteous wrath.
For everyone who is hearing this today, I would encourage you to evaluate where your hope is found. God testifies in His Word that true hope is found in Christ alone. Does your lifestyle reflect what you say you believe? If you claim to follow Christ, would God agree with you? You may be able to fool others, or even yourself, but you won’t fool God. He knows who are his and who are not. It is important to evaluate your standing with God. Do you love his commandments? Do you desire to read his Word so that you might know him more? Do you hate sin and have a regular practice of repenting of it wherever/whenever it shows up in your life? If you cannot in good conscience say yes to these things, then it’s time to wrestle with God. Don’t waste another moment in spiritual apathy or religiosity. That’s not doing you any good, nor does it fool God.
For the Christians in the room, I have a couple takeaways for you too. First, give thanks to God for your faith. That is an undeserved gift of grace and may we never take it for granted. Every day is a good day because I’m not receiving the wrath that was meant for me. Thank you, Jesus! Second, cultivate a heart for the lost. It is easy to be self-focused in our faith. To only care about ourselves or our closest loved ones yet neglecting the people in our community who are heading to hell. May it never be! Pray for God to do a work on your heart to care for all people made in his image. Ask for opportunities to share Jesus with the lost in your family, workplace, neighborhood, and this community. Then take those opportunities!
If we truly believe that what Isaiah is laying out here is true, then we should have great compassion on those who will inevitably face God’s unrestrained judgment. Listen again to how this chapter closed out.
Isaiah 24:16b–23 (ESV)
But I say, “I waste away,
I waste away. Woe is me!
For the traitors have betrayed,
with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.”
17 Terror and the pit and the snare
are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
18 He who flees at the sound of the terror
shall fall into the pit,
and he who climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the snare.
For the windows of heaven are opened,
and the foundations of the earth tremble.
19 The earth is utterly broken,
the earth is split apart,
the earth is violently shaken.
20 The earth staggers like a drunken man;
it sways like a hut;
its transgression lies heavy upon it,
and it falls, and will not rise again.
21 On that day the Lord will punish
the host of heaven, in heaven,
and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
22 They will be gathered together
as prisoners in a pit;
they will be shut up in a prison,
and after many days they will be punished.
23 Then the moon will be confounded
and the sun ashamed,
for the Lord of hosts reigns
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and his glory will be before his elders.
Although there are songs of praise rising to the Lord from the redeemed, Isaiah is overcome with grief at the thought of the outcome for those who don’t know God. He feels their hopelessness and is distraught at their ongoing betrayal and treatment of one another. They are continuing in their path of sin, and it is going to lead to a horrible outcome.
For all of us, as we wrestle with God’s reckoning of creation, we must…
- Recognize the extent of the judgment
Verse 17 reveals this judgment is not only universal, but also it is experienced individually. Each person will face it. Though you try to run and hide, you will not escape it.
Verse 18 has some very intriguing language that points back to the flood of Noah’s days. The windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. This is language that describes the incredible judgment of the flood! It gives us a greater sense of the extent of the judgment spoken about here. This is cataclysmic. No one, outside of those protected by God, will stand or survive. Those who trust in self or the powers of this earth will be devastated.
Fascinatingly, in verses 21-23, God also reveals through Isaiah that the extent of the judgment is not limited to the rulers on earth. It also includes all the heavenly beings who have rebelled against him. This is referring to Satan and the fallen angels (demons) who rejected God’s rightful rule. The disobedient of heaven and earth will be gathered together for their judgment.
In that day, God’s glory will be so incredibly brilliant that even the sun and moon will pale in comparison. This brings to mind the visions of John in the book of Revelation:
Revelation 21:22–27 (ESV)
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.
26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation 4:4, 9-11 (ESV)
4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”
Their cry must be our cry today. God’s judgment is extensive. No one shall escape, unless they are protected by God himself. And he has told us the way of salvation – we are protected through faith in Jesus Christ. It is by confessing our sin and turning to follow him that we can have the hope of eternal life rather than eternal judgment.
How will you respond today? That is the question each of us needs to consider. Will you bow the knee in humility and worship before the King of Kings? Or will you continue in your rebellion? *pause* How you move forward from here matters. For this life, but, more importantly, for eternity. *pause*
I am excited to share with you that that we have several folks who are publicly professing their faith in Jesus Christ through believer’s baptism today. They want the world to know that they have turned from sin and are following Jesus. What a privilege it is to end our service with these baptisms.
Here is the plan for that today:
- In just a moment I will pray then dismiss you to go out to the front lawn where our baptismal tank is set up.
- Parents, please pick up your kiddos first and take them with you to the lawn.
- For those who are being baptized, you’ll go to the microphone where Pastor Jack will be standing. When it is time, he will have you share your testimony and then head to me to be baptized.
- Before we do any of that, I want to share with you a baptism that we had yesterday for Janie Sayre (Sair). Please turn your attention to the screen, then I will close in prayer.
Janie Baptism Video
Pray
Dismiss to lawn